TIME
Hours add up
Across two studies, people needed about 40 to 60 hours together to go from acquaintance to casual friend, and more than 200 to become good friends.
Find your stageWHAT THE RESEARCH SAYS
Friendship is
made of hours.
Good friends rarely happen overnight.
Find your stage
200+hours to a good friend
A University of Kansas study estimated about 50 hours together to become casual friends, about 90 to become friends and over 200 to become good friends. Hanging out and joking around counted for more than working side by side.
At a glance
- Time together adds up
- Leisure counts most
- Everyday talk matters
- How new friendships grow
7%
Adults in England who feel lonely often or always
The rate was highest among 16 to 24 year olds at 9%, followed by 25 to 34 year olds at 8%, and lowest among 65 to 74 year olds at 4%.
LONELINESS · COMMUNITY LIFE SURVEY
95%
Adults with someone to count on to listen
95% of adults had at least one person they could really count on to listen when they needed to talk, and 92% had people they could call on for company.
SUPPORT · COMMUNITY LIFE SURVEY
TWO NUMBERS WORTH KNOWING
Most of us have someone,
some of us often feel alone.
Two figures from England's Community Life Survey,
October 2024 to March 2025.
The same survey found 62% of adults felt they belonged strongly to their immediate neighbourhood, and 24% volunteered informally at least once a month.
A QUICK FRIENDSHIP CHECK
Where is this
friendship now?
Pick a stage to see roughly how many hours together it took people in the research to get there. The bar shows how much time that stage tends to need.
Based on a University of Kansas study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Averages, not rules.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Spend the time,
the closeness follows.
Hours together predicted closer friendships.
So did shared leisure and everyday talk.
LEISURE
Fun counts most
Time spent hanging out, joking around and playing games counted towards friendship, while hours working together counted for less.
See the numbers
GROUPS
Join something regular
NHS Every Mind Matters suggests joining a group built around your interests, in person or online, and welcoming newcomers once you are in.
Ways to start
FOUR WAYS TO START
Small steps,
repeated often.
These ideas come from NHS Every Mind Matters guidance on loneliness. They work best repeated, because friendship grows with time together.
Keep in touch
Message an old friend or colleague, or start a group chat. Even a brief call can help, and most people love hearing from others.
Join a group
Find a group around an interest or something new you would like to try, in person or online.
Volunteer
Volunteering is a good way to meet people while doing something useful together.
Invite someone along
Many free and low-cost events run through the year. Asking someone to come with you turns an outing into time together.
WHO FEELS IT MOST
Loneliness is not
only about age.
It is easy to picture loneliness as a problem of later life, but England's Community Life Survey found the highest rates of feeling lonely often or always among 16 to 24 year olds, at 9%. NHS Every Mind Matters also lists young people aged 16 to 34 among the groups most at risk.
The NHS describes loneliness as emotional, social or existential, felt by some people now and then and by others all the time. It suggests saying hello to people you recognise, and remembering that someone lonely for a while may need time to respond.
Questions
Questions people ask
How long does it take to make a friend?
A University of Kansas study estimated about 40 to 60 hours together to go from acquaintance to casual friend, 80 to 100 hours to become friends, and more than 200 hours to become good friends.
Does time at work count?
It counts for less. The study found hours spent working together contributed less to friendship than time hanging out, joking around or playing games.
How many people in England feel lonely?
The Community Life Survey 2024/25 found 7% of adults in England felt lonely often or always, a small but significant fall from 7.1% in 2023/24.
Are young adults lonelier?
In the 2024/25 survey, 16 to 24 year olds had the highest rate at 9%, followed by 25 to 34 year olds at 8%. Rates were 4% for 65 to 74 year olds and 5% for those 75 and over.
What can I do if I feel lonely?
NHS Every Mind Matters suggests keeping in touch, joining a group, doing things you enjoy, sharing your feelings, volunteering and inviting someone along to activities.
Sources
Where the facts come from
- University of Kansas: Study reveals number of hours it takes to make a friend (2018)
- Journal of Social and Personal Relationships: How many hours does it take to make a friend?
- GOV.UK: Community Life Survey 2024/25, loneliness and support networks
- GOV.UK: Community Life Survey 2024/25, headline findings
- NHS Every Mind Matters: Loneliness
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